Here's What Convinced 'Bachelor' Nation That Victoria F. & Chris Soules Are Together

While the rest of the world is social distancing right now, the coronavirus pandemic has proven to be quite the matchmaker for many former Bachelor contestants. Bachelor Nation is convinced Victoria Fuller and Chris Soules are quarantining together, after the controversial contestant appeared to video chat with some of her reality TV friends from what appeared to be the farmer's home in Iowa. (Bustle has reached out to reps for Fuller and Soules for comment on the rumors, but did not hear back at the time of publication.)

According to Us Weekly, Victoria was taking part in a Zoom reunion with fellow Bachelor Season 20 contestants Lexi Buchanan, Natasha Parker, Sydney Hightower, and Victoria Paul, when some eagle-eyed fans noticed that the couch she was sitting on looked suspiciously similar to one that Chris showed off in an Instagram post back in 2017. Instagram user @bachelor.tea pointed out that the couch behind Victoria was not only very similar to the former Bachelor's, but that nearly identical black-and-white pillows were also visible in the background of the photo.

Rumors of the new Bachelor couple began swirling on April 15, when Reality Steve wrote on Twitter that Victoria had flown to Iowa in order to spend "the week" with Chris at his farm. Describing the potential pair as "one of the more random Bachelor 'couples' that I can’t say I ever would’ve guessed," he also noted that it's not clear "how long this [relationship] has been going on or how serious it is" between them. (Thus far, neither Victoria nor Chris have publicly commented on the reported romance.)

Shortly after Reality Steve posted his theory on Twitter, Us confirmed that Chris had indeed reached out to Victoria via social media, after her season of The Bachelor finished airing. "Chris slid into Victoria’s [Instagram] DMs," a source told the outlet at the time. "He apparently DMs a lot of people." Fans also noticed that the pair followed each other on Instagram as far back as April 2.

During her time on the show, Victoria often found herself at the center of drama: her country star ex, Chase Rice, performed during a one-on-one date with Peter, and Cosmopolitan decided to pull a digital cover featuring Victoria after she was confirmed to have posed for a White Lives Matter clothing line. At the time, she issued an apology for posing for the clothing line on her Instagram Story that read, "I would like to sincerely apologize for my involvement with We Love Marlins. My intention was only to support an endangered species. I want to say that I unequivocally reject the beliefs of the white lives matter movement or any propaganda that supports racism of any kind. I would like to specifically apologize to people of color that are affected by racism daily."

Despite her controversial run on the show, Victoria's post-Bachelor message for Peter implied that their relationship had taught her a lot about herself, and what she was looking for in any future partners.

"Thank you for teaching me about myself, even when I didn’t want to know. Or when it was unpleasant. But most of all teaching me that I’m worth it," Victoria wrote on Instagram on March 3. "You showed me what kindness truly is. What patience means in a relationship. You showed me the definition of a good thing. & you showed me that I can be loved unapologetically with all my flaws."

While it's unclear whether or not she's found that "unapologetic" love with Chris, it seems that at the very least, Victoria is following in the footsteps of her Bachelor ex and enjoying a socially-distant romance of her very own.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC or NHS 111 in the UK for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here, and UK-specific updates on coronavirus here.